Weed-puller.



No. 660,339. Patented Ot. 23, I900:

B. RUSSELL! WEED FULLER.

(Application filed novfgv, 1599.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet l.

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INVENTOF! VV'TNESSES'Z "RIC ARI) RUSSELL N Is ATTYs.

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No. 660,339. Patented Oct. 23, I900.

R. RUSSELL.

WEED FULLER.

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Patented Oct. 23, I900.

- R. RUSSELL.

W E E D P U L L E R.

(Application filed Nov. 27, 1899.)

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(N0 Model.)

IN\/ E TC) R me HAM R o nus-s1 WITNEBSES' H s A TTORN rivs.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD RUSSELL, OF STEPHEN, MINNESOTA.

WEE'D-PULLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,339, dated October23, 1900.

A li ti fl d November 27, 1899. Serial No. 738,267- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD RUSSELL, of Stephen, Marshall county,Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'inWeed-Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for pulling weeds from the soil; andthe object of the invention is to provide an improvement over theapparatus designed for the same purpose shown and described in my UnitedStates Patent No. 639,618, granted December 19, 1899.

The invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly point-edout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of a Weed-puller embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail of the ends of therolls which engage the weed-stalks. Fig. 4

is a detail showing the construction of one of the rolls. Figs-5 andGare details showing the method of securing the corrugations or teeththereon, Fig. 7 is a detail of the mechanism for throwing the machineinto or out of gear.

In the drawings, 2 represents the wheels; 3, the axle, whereon issupported the forward end of a rectangular frame at, preferably ofangle-iron on account of its rigidity, and supported at its rear end bycaster-Wheels 5.

Beneath the frame 4 are angle-bars 6, pivotally supported at theirforward ends upon lugs or ears 7, having bearings on the axle andforming a roll-supportingauxiliary frame, and at their rear endsprovided with links or bars 8, that are vertically slidable in guides 9on the sides of the frame 4 above. To support the rear ends of the bars6 and to adjust the same at the desired distance from the ground, Iprovide chains 10, connected to said links 8 near the bars 6 and passingover pulleys 11 on'the frame 4 are secured to rods 12, whose forwardends are pi votally connected to arms 13 on a shaft 14, mounted inbearings on the forward end of the frame 4.. This shaft is rotated bymeans of a lever 15, and said lever may be locked by means of a latchand pawl engaging the teeth of a curved rackbar 16, provided on a plate17, that is secured near the middle of the machine to the frame andaxle. By moving the lever 15 back and forth the operator may raise orlower the bars 6 andthe mechanism carried thereon, adjusting it atdifferent distances from the ground, according to the height of theweeds to be pulled.

Mounted in bearings 1S on the bars 6 near their rear ends is a shaft 19,and in the rear of said shaft 19, beneath said bars 6, is a similarshaft 20, supported in bearings 21, that are pivotally connected to thebars 6, permitting the shaft 20 to swing back and forth toward or fromthe shaft 19, which is preferably stationary with respect to the Irameor bars 6, whereon it is supported, though turning freely in itsbearings. Upon these two shafts I provide rolls having corrugatedsurfaces and each comprising a series of disks 22, secured at intervalsupon said shafts, there being preferably one at each end of the shaftand one in the middle, and these disks are provided on their peripheriesWith a series of. teeth or projections 23, having slots or recesses 24in their bases to receive the inwardly-turned edges of metal sheets 25,that are bent into a form triangular in crosssection to fit over saidteeth and form the corrugated surfaces of the roll. To put the rollstogether, the edges at the ends of each metal section are inserted intothe slots in the teeth of one of the end disks and pushed through theslots in the teeth of the other disks, and when in place the corners atthe bottom of each sheet or section will engage the corners of theadjoining sections and the edges of the same will be locked in theirslots against lateral movement. Longitudinal movement is prevented byproviding lips 26 at the ends of the sections to be bent down over thesurfaces of the teeth. I prefer to construct the rolls in this manner,as they will be much lighter than if made solid, and, the corrugationsbeing made up in sections, any of the teeth on becoming broken or wornmay be quickly removed and a new one substituted therefor. I also regardthis hollow built-up form of roll cheaper to manufacture than those thatare made solid or, being hollow, have their teeth or corrugations formedintegrally. The rear roll while permitted to swing freely on itsbearings is held in yielding contact with the forward roll by springs27, provided on the bars 6. t

The shaft 19 projects beyond the bars 6, upon each side, and is providedwith sprocketwheels 28, over which chains 29 pass to largersprocket-wheels 30 on a reel-shaft 31, that is also mounted in hearingson the bars 6 in front of the forward roll. Upon said shaft is a reel32,which is adapted to direct the heads of weeds or other material that isto be pulled into position to be engaged by the corrugations on therolls. The reel-shaft, which also projects beyond the bars 6 upon eachside of the machine, is driven by sprocket-chains 33, which pass overwheels 34 and 35, provided, respectively, on the reel-shaft and the axle3 of the machine. The reelshaftin turn drives the forward roll, whosecorrugations engaging those on the rear roll revolve it also.

It is frequently desirable to throw the machine out of gear, so that thereel and rolls will not be operated as the machine is moved across thefield, and I therefore arrange the sprocket-wheels 35 to slide upon theaxle 3, and in connection therewith and the wheels 2 provide clutches36, of ordinary construction, that are operated by means of rods 37,connected to a lever 38, above and below its pivot, respectively, asshown in Fig 7, said lever having a latch-and-pawl device to engage theteeth of a rack 39 and permit the operator to set the lever and lock theclutches when it is desired to prevent the rolls from operating. SpM'ngs40 normally hold the clutch mechanism on the sprocket-wheels 35 inengagement with the mechanism on the wheels when the machine is inoperation.

The operation of my improved weed-pulling machine is as follows: Therolls having been adjusted the desired distance from the ground, themachine is started across the field, and the revolving reels engagingthe heads of the weeds will direct the same between the revolving rolls,the teeth of which engaging the stalks of the weeds will drag the rootsout of the ground, the rear roll yielding sufficiently in its hearingsto permit the weed-stalks and other foreign material to pass between therolls and be discharged at the rear of the machine.

Obviously the details of construction which I have herein shown anddescribed may be modified in many ways by any one skilled in the art,and I therefore do not wish to be confined to what is herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a machine of the class described, thecombination, with an axle and its wheels, of a frame supported thereon,caster-wheels provided at the rear end of said frame, the bars 6pivotally supported on said axle and forming a pivoted frame,guide-links provided at the rear of said bars slidable in guides on saidmachine-frame, rolls carried by said bars, and means for revolving thesame, and

means for raising and lowering the rear ends of said bars to elevate ordepress said rolls, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with a wheeledframe, of a pivoted auxiliary frame supported beneath said wheeledframe, guides for the rear end of said auxiliary frame, means forraising or lowering the rear ends of said auxiliary frame, a rollmounted in fixed bearings on said auxiliary frame, a reel in advance ofsaid roll, means for driving said reel and said roll, a second rollsupported in swinging hearings in the rear of said first-named roll,both of said rolls having corrugated surfaces, and means for holding therear roll in yielding contact with the forward roll, whereby it isdriven by the revolution of said forward roll, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a machine of the class described, two rolls having coactingcorrugated surfaces and each roll comprising a series of toothed disksarranged at intervals upon a shaft, said teeth having slotted bases andmetal sections triangular in cross-section, having in wardlyturned edgesto enter the slots in the bases of said teeth and be locked therein byengagement with the adjoining sections and said sections togetherforming the corrugated surfaces of said rolls, substantially asdescribed.

4. A roll for weed-pulling machines, comprising a shaft, a series ofdisks secured at intervals thereon, said disks having toothedperipheries provided with slots in their bases, and metal sectionstriangular in cross-section having their edges inwardly turned to enterengagement with the bases of the adjoining sections, wherebythe edges ofeach section are locked in the slots against lateral movement,substantially as described.

5. A corrugated roll for weed-pulling machines, comprising a shaft, aseries of disks mounted at intervals thereon, said disks having toothedor corrugated peripheries,and metal sections substantially triangular incross-section fitting the teeth of said disk and removably secured overthe same, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with an axleand its wheels, of a frame supported at its forward end thereon,caster-wheels supporting the rear end of said frame, an auxiliary framesupported at its forward end on said axle and extending back beneathsaid first-named frame, means within control of the operator on themachine for raising and lowering the rear end of said auxiliary frame,rolls mounted in bearings near the rear end of said auxiliary frame, oneof said rolls being connected with the axlewheels to be driven therebyand the other roll but yieldingly mounted and having its surface incontact with the surface of said first-named roll, whereby said secondroll is driven also, substantially as described.

said slots, the base of each section being in,1o5

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with an axleand its wheels, of a frame supported at its forward end thereon,suitable means supporting the rear end of said frame, an auxiliary framepivotally supported at its forward end on said axle and extending backbeneath said first-named frame, means within control of the operator onthe machine for raising or lowering said auxiliary frame, a roll mountedin bearings on said auxiliary frame and having a series of corrugationsin its surface and driven from said axle-wheels, a second roll alsomounted in bearings on said auxiliary frame and having a series ofcorrugations in its surface in engagement with the corrugations of saidfirstnamed roll, whereby said second-named roll is driven by therevolution of said first-named roll, substantially as described.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with an axleand its wheels, of a frame supported at its forward end thereon, meanssupporting the rear end of said frame, an auxiliary frame pivotallysupported at its forward end on said axle and extending beneath saidmachine-frame, a reel mounted in bearings on said auxiliary frame andconnected with the axle wheels to be driven thereby, a roll mounted inbearings on said auxiliary frame in the rear of said reel, meansconnecting said roll and said reel, whereby said roll is driven by theoperation of said reel, and a second roll mounted in yielding operated,simultaneously, substantially as described.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with a wheeledframe, of an auxiliary frame pivotally supported and extending backbeneath said wheeled frame,

rolls having corrugated surfaces mounted in bearings near the rear endof said auxiliary frame, a reel mounted in said auxiliary frame in frontof said rolls, means connecting said rolls and said reel with theaxle-Wheels, and means within control of the operator stationed on themachine for raising or lowering the rear end of said auxiliary frame toadjust said rolls and reel at differentheights from the ground,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day ofNovember, 1899.

RICHARD RUSSELL.

In presence of- GREELEY E. CARR, OHAs. BURSETH.

